“Oliver? What was happening?” He sounded a little freaked out, which was fair.
“That wasn’t my dad.” Tears poured down my face and I sniffed.
He glanced between me and the road with a worried frown. “Your mom seemed to think he was. Do we need to go back?”
I whimpered. “No.” The ring was cool as I slipped it on. My stomach churned and I felt too hot, so I put down the window and leaned toward the rush of air. “My dad would’ve been excited to see me. He would’ve apologized for abandoning me. He would’ve hugged me and asked about school. Told my mom he had money stashed somewhere for us all to have a new life. A better life.”
Ren snorted, and I glared at him, but he was focused on the traffic. “You wanted a leprechaun. Or a djinn. You didn’t want a dad, you wanted a miracle.”
My heart froze. “Fuck.”
He took my hand and held it firmly. “I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.”
“Why was Mom so happy?” I muttered.
He gave me a wicked grin. “Wanna go back and ask? I can punch your dad again.”
My heart jump-started and I smiled, tasting salt. “Dad might shoot us.”
He chuckled and I did, too, but I felt like shit.
Ren cleared his throat. “Where are we headed?”
“Your tattoo parlor. I don’t want to be alone.”
He kissed the back of my hand, lips lingering. The warmth made me feel closer to human. “Being disappointed in your dad gets easier, I promise.”
I stared at the ring on my hand and twisted it. “I don’t even know why I wanted this back so bad. But it doesn’t belong to that asshole.”
“No, it belongs to the leprechaun.”
I tried to smile because I knew that was what Ren wanted.
“This is why I don’t meet parents. I’m beginning to think the problem is me.” He sighed dramatically.
The idiot sounded so sincere that I laughed for real.
6
REN
Anger throbbed in my temples, creating an ache behind my eyes that grew with each passing minute until I had no choice but to get some painkillers.
It’d been a few hours since we’d had the “pleasure” of meeting Oliver’s dad, and I was still clenching my fists too hard against my sides, trying to hide my reaction from Oliver.
He’d relaxed since we’d arrived at the tattoo parlor, but he was also holding himself too tight. The tension in his shoulders spread down his spine. He was trying to concentrate on the fake skin in front of him, but his hands shook so subtly that if I hadn’t been watching him carefully, I might’ve missed it.
But Iwaswatching him and Ididn’tmiss it.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and exhaled. KC should be here offering Oliver advice. I sucked at this shit. While I had my fair share of bad father moments, at least mine never tried to punch me. Instead, Father loved to tell me how disappointed he was and send me off to boarding school.
Wylie made a face at me from where he sat beside his client and nodded in Oliver’s direction, his message clear.Go comforthim, you idiot.He used the back of his wrist to swipe his blond bangs out of his eyes.
I shrugged. How the fuck was I supposed to make Oliver feel better? His dad was a dickhead and now he had to live with this man being a disappointment.
Wylie rolled his eyes and muttered up toward the ceiling, clearly trying to work out how I’d managed to get Oliver in the first place. Yeah, me too, buddy. Sex was easy. Relationships? Fucking hard.
There weren’t a lot of things I could say to Oliver.Sorry your father’s shitty. Mine too. Want to start a club? You can be president.I bit down on my bottom lip to hold in a groan.
